New United States Attorney General Pam Bondi has granted a request to transfer a convicted murderer in federal custody to the state of Oklahoma for execution.

John Hanson, who is currently serving a life sentence in federal prison for bank robbery, was convicted for his role in the 1999 carjacking, kidnapping and murder of 77-year-old Mary Bowles.

His transfer to Oklahoma had previously been denied in 2022 after a moratorium was put in place on federal executions.

Timeline:

1999

On Sept. 7, 1999, 77-year-old Mary Bowles, who had been missing for a week, was found dead in a heavily wooded area, just north of Tulsa International Airport near 66th Street North. Police said they found signs of trauma and were investigating her death as a homicide.

Also in September, John Hanson was arrested after a standoff between himself and Tulsa police and the FBI in connection to a robbery at the Tulsa Federal Employees Credit Union. They also arrested Victor Miller, who surrendered.

During their investigation, police found evidence that Hanson and Miller were responsible for the deaths of Bowles and 44-year-old Jerald Max Thurman. Prosecutors later filed and murder charges.

2000

Miller and Hanson were sentenced to life in prison without parole for armed robbery.

2001

A jury convicted Hanson of first-degree murder in the death of Bowles and Thurman. The Tulsa County District Court recommended the death penalty.

2022

In October, the Federal Bureau of Prisons refused the transfer of Hanson from a federal prison in Louisiana to Oklahoma to be executed. Tulsa County DA Steve Kunzweiler received a letter from the Federal Bureau of Prisons saying it would not be in the “public’s best interest.” He had been set to be executed in Oklahoma on Dec. 15, 2022.

Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond wrote a letter on Oct. 14 requesting his transfer.

2025

President Donald Trump signed an executive order “to ensure that the laws that authorize capital punishment are respected and faithfully implemented, and to counteract the politicians and judges who subvert the law by obstructing and preventing the execution of capital sentences” on Jan. 20. Previously under the Biden Administration, there was a moratorium on death sentences.

On Jan. 23, Drummond asked that the U.S. Bureau of Prisons transfer Hanson to Oklahoma to carry out his death sentence. Drummond's office says if Hanson is transferred to Oklahoma before March 20, he could be executed in June.

On Feb. 13, United States Attorney General Pam Bondi agreed to transfer Hanson to Oklahoma. Hanson filed a petition for emergency relief to try and stop the transfer, but it was denied.

Hanson has been ordered to be returned to Oklahoma before March and is likely to have his execution set in June.

What Happened to Victor Miller?

Victor Miller is now serving life without parole.

He was convicted and given death, then appealed and won. Then, he was convicted again and given the death sentence again but appealed again.

He won a new sentence, and since that process took 16 years, the victim's family finally said to take the death penalty off the table, so the case didn't keep dragging on for another decade.